Multicolor light-reflecting and sound-recording psychiatric observation apparatus



June 20, 1967 R. E. FRENKEL ET AL 3,326,204

MULTICOLQR LIGHTREFLECTING AND SOUND-RECORDING PSYCHIATRIC OBSERVATION APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 27 1963 INVENTORS RICHARD E. FRENKEL HERBERT M. FRfN/(EL ATTORNEY June 20, 1967 R. E. FRENKEL ET L 3,325,204

. MULTICOLOR LIGHT-REFLECTING AND SOUND-RECORDING PSYCHIATRIC OBSERVATION APPARATUS Filed Dec. 27, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 68 u I, L

INVENTORS RICHARD EJR'ENKEL HE FEE)? T M FRENK E L ATTORNEK R. E. FRENKEL E L MULTICOLOR LIGHT-REFLECTING AND SOUND-RECORD 3,326,204 ING June 20, 1967 PSYCHIATRIC OBSERVAT ION APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet F Filed Dec. 27 1963 INVENTORS RICHARD E. FFENKEL ATTORNEY.

June 20, 1967 R. E. FRENKEL ET AL 3,326,204

MULTICOLOR LIGHT-REFLECTING AND SOUND-RECORDING PSYCHIATRIC OBSERVATION APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 27 1963 INVENTORS RICHARD EFRENKEL HERBERT M. FRENKfL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,326,204 MULTICOLOR LIGHT-REFLECTING AND SOUND-RECORDING PSYCHIATRIC OB- SERVATION APPARATUS Richard E. Frenkel, 201 E. 77th St. 10021, and Herbert M. Frenkel, 210 E. 15th St., Apt. 3P 10003, both of New York, N.Y.

Filed Dec. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 333,982 9 Claims. (Cl. 128-1) This invention relates to the science of psychiatry and has particular reference to the technique of providing means for psychiatric patients to observe themselves under various lighting conditions in the course and as part of analytic or therapeutic sessions. In this technique, the patient is enabled to view his facial expressions under natural or colored lighting for psychiatric observation purposes.

The object of the invention is the provision of lightreflective and light-transmitting means, operable by a psychiatrist and adapted to illuminate a patient with light of predetermined or selected colors, and to enable said patient to observe his reflected image under such various light conditions.

Essentially, the present invention comprises the use of a light source, an adjustable multicolored filter situated between said light source and the patient, thereby exposing the patient to color-filtered light, and a mirror in which the patients reflected image may be viewed.

In another form of this invention, the same adjustable multicolored filter is positioned between the mirror and the patient, and the light source transmits unfiltered light directly to and upon the patient. In this case, as in the preceding case, the psychiatrist may vary the lighting conditions by operating the multicolor filter, and the patient may be enabled to observe himself either in natural (or unfiltered) light or in predetermined (or selected) color-filtered light.

A further object of the invention is the provision of multicolor light-transmitting means which may be used for space or room illumination, thereby exposing the patient within the room, as well as other objects therein, to predetermined or selected color-filtered light. Mirrors hanging on the wall of such room would reflect the image of such patient under these various lighting conditions, precisely as is the case with the lighting and light-reflecting apparatus operated and controlled by the psychiarist.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of light-transmitting and color-filtered light-reflecting means made in accordance with one form of the invention, wherein a multicolor filter is situated across a mirror, between said mirror and the patient, a light source being provided for direct and filtered illumination of the patient.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section therethrough on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of a multicolor filter used in said device.

FIGURE 4 is a front view of a second form of this invention, wherein the multicolor filter is situated between the light source and the patient, there being no color filter between the mirror and the patient.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a top view, partly broken away and in section, of said second form of the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a front view, partly broken away and in section, showing a third form of this invention wherein the multicolor filter is situated between the light source and the patient, the mirror being exposed directly to the patient.

FIGURE 8 is a side view of the device shown in FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a top view thereof, partly broken away and in section.

FIGURE 10 is a side view of a color filtered lighting fixture made in accordance with a fourth form of this invention.

FIGURE 11 is a vertical section therethrough on the line 1111 of FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 is a modified form of the lighting fixture of FIGURE 11, taken on the line 1212 of FIGURE 13.

FIGURE 13 is a vertical section on the line 13-13 0f FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 14 is a view looking upwardly upon said lighting fixture, the lighting fixture being affixed to the ceiling of a room.

FIGURE 15 is a similar view of a modified form of the lighting fixture shown in FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 16 is a vertical section on the line 16-16 of FIGURE 15.

FIGURE 1'7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the intersecting color filters of the embodiment of FIG- URES l5 and 16.

Referring now to the first form of this invention, as illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, it will be seen that this device comprises a vertically adjustable telescopic stand 10, an enclosure 12 mounted on said stand, an opening 14 in the front wall 16 of said enclosure, a light source 18 within said enclosure, said light source being mounted on a manually rotatable shaft 20 to adjust its focus, a second opening 22 formed in said front wall 16 of the enclosure, a mirror 24 situated within said enclosure, facing said opening, said mirror being supported on brackets 26, a pair of rollers 28 and 30 mounted within said enclosure and rotatably supported by its side walls, a pair of manually operable crank handles 32 and 34, respectively, connected to said rollers 28 and 30, and a multicolor filter 36 mounted on said rollers, extending around idler rollers 38 and 40, respectively, and extending across mirror 24. If desired, the enclosure may also contain a tape recorder or silimar sound recording device 42, a first microphone 44 mounted in the front wall of. the enclosure and connected to said tape recorder, and a second microphone 46 in the back wall of said enclosure, said second microphone being also connected to said tape recorder.

The multicolor filter 36 is best shown in FIGURE 3, Where it will be noted that said filter comprises an elevated strip made of a transparent plastic film and wound at one end on roller 28 and at the other end on roller 30. By manually operating cranks 32 and 34, the filter may be unwound from either of these two rollers and wound on the other, and vice versa.

It will also be noted that the filter comprises a plurality of sections or frames, some of which are colored or tinted in a different color by spraying, silk screen printing, or any other conventional method. By way of illustration: The first section or frame, 36a is clear; the second, 361), is red or pink; the third section, 360, is orange; the fourth, 36d, is yellow; the fifth, 362, is green; the sixth, 36 is blue; the seventh, 36g, is violet or purple; and the eighth, 36h, is again clear. By operating cranks 32 and 34, any one of these sections may be superimposed upon the mirror.

In the use of this device, a patient would sit in a chair facing the mirror. Since the filter is interposed between the patient and the mirror, the reflected image will assume' a color corresponding to the particular color of the section or frame which registers with the mirror. The light source 18 will illuminate the patient, and the patients oral observations or answers to questions will be recorded by the tape recorder 42 operating through microphone 44.

3 By the same token, the observations of the attending psychiatrist and his questions to the patient will also be recorded by the same tape recorder operating through the second microphone 46.

Turing now to the second form of this invention, as illustrated in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6, it will be noted that a stand supports an encolsure 52 in which a light source 54 is adjustably mounted by means of bracket or brackets 56. This light source is focused to transmit light through an opening 58 in front wall 60 of said enclosure. Extending across said opening, within said enclosure, is a filter 62 similar to filter 36 above described. This filter is mounted at its respective ends on a pair of rollers 64 and 66, respectively, operated by cranks 68 and 70, respectively. The filter extends from one of these rollers 64 around a pair of idler rollers '72 and 74, and thence to roller 66. It will thus be seen that the light emitted by light source 54 passes through the filter and focuses upon the patient. The particular color section or frame which happens to register with opening 58, will determine the color of the light which illuminates the patient.

A second opening 76 is formed in the front wall 60 of the enclosure. Behind and registering with said opening is a mirror 78 in which the patient may view his reflected image in the color filtered light. Manual operation of cranks 68 and will shift the filter to any desired position relative to light source 54, in order to illuminate the patient with light of a color selected by the attending pyschiatrist. As in the case of the first form of this invention, a tape recorder 88 is mounted within the enclosure and is connected to a first microphone 82 situated in the front of the enclosure and a second microphone 84 connected to the back of the enclosure, the first microphone being for the use of the patient and the second for the use of the psychiatrist.

The third embodiment of this invention, as illustrated in FIGURES 7 to 9, involves the same principles as the second embodiment and differs only in mechanical and structural details. Thus, stand is angularly adjustable about the horizontal axis of a clamp element 1.62. The entire enclosure 104 may accordingly be tilted about said horizontal axis in order to adjust its orientation with respect to the patient, who may either be sitting in a chair, standing, or perhaps reclining on a couch.

Mounted within the enclosure is a light source 106, and extending around it is a curved filter 168 whose ends are wound up on rollers and 112, respectively. This filter is a stiffer member than the thin film of filters 36 and 62, but it is nevertheless made of transparent plastics and provided with a series of differently colored sections or frames, as above described. Knobs 114 and 116 on rollers 110 and 112 may be manually actuated to rotate said rollers and to feed the filter from one to the other.

An opening 118 is formed in the front of the enclosure, and it is through this opening that the light is transmitted from the light source 106 to the patient. Should it be desired to change from one color section to another, and particularly from one color section to another which is not contiguous therewith, it may be found useful to screen the filter and its light source from view during the transition period. This may be achieved by means of a screen or shutter 120, which may be moved across opening 118 to conceal the filter while it is being moved from one roller to the other.

A second opening 122 is provided in the front of the enclosure and behind said opening is a mirror 124. The screen or shutter may extend across the mirror, as well as across the filter.

As is the case with the first two forms of this invention, the present device is preferably provided with a microphone 126 for the patients use and a tape recorder 128 connected thereto. There may also be a second microphone connected to said tape recorder, for the psychiatrists use.

The present form of the invention also illustrates the 1 use of air ports for the circulation of air necessary to cool the unit. Thus the inlet opening or openings 130 are formed in the bottom wall of the enclosure, and a plurality of openings 132 are formed in the top wall thereof.

Referring now to the form of invention illustrated in FIGURES l0 and 11, it will be observed that a ceiling fixture is provided, including a reflector 142 and a fluorescent light source 144. The fixture includes an enclosure 146, which in any conventional manner is affixed to or supported by the ceiling. The enclosure includes a pair of side walls 148 and 150, respectively, which extend vertically in spaced parallel relationship. Between these side walls is a looped filter 152, mounted on a pair of rollers 154 and 156, respectively. Cranks 158 and 160 are connected to said rollers and may be actuated to feed the filter from one roller to the other.

The light source transmits light through the filter to illuminate the room and the patient within the room. The patient would be able to view his reflected image in a Wallor furniture-supported mirror, said image appearing in the color-filtered light.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG- URES 12 to 14 corresponds substantially to that shown in FIGURES 10 and 11, except that it is provided with a pair of intersecting filters and 172, respectively, in the place and stead of the single filter 152. An electric light fixture 174 is supported in the ceiling in conventional manner, and is provided with a reflector 176 and an incandescent electric light source 178. The device is also provided with an enclosure 180, which has a pair of opposite side walls 186 and 188.

Rollers 190 and 192 are rotatably supported on side walls 186 and 188, and it is upon said rollers that filter 170 is mounted. Rollers 194 and 196 are rotatably supported on walls 182 and 184, and filter 172 is mounted on said rollers 194 and 196. Knobs 198 on rollers 190 and 192 may be used to rotate said rollers and to feed filter 170 from one of said rollers to the other. Knobs 200 are connected to rollers 194 and 196, and may be used to rotate said rollers so as to feed filter 172 from one of said rollers to the other.

It will be observed in FIGURE 14 that the two filters intersect each other at right angles, and their respective paths of travel also extend at right angles to each other. It is thereby possible to obtain many color combinations which a single filter would be unable to provide, such color combinations resulting when selected color sections or frames of one of said filters are placed across selected color sections or frames of the other filter.

The final form of this invention is illustrated in FIG- URES 15 to 17, and it will there be noted that this form of the invention uses, essentially, the principles of the form of the invention last above described in connection with FIGURES 12 to 14. The differences are largely mechanical and structural, the objective being to place the intersecting color filters in close proximity to each other, this being in contrast to the previously described form of the invention wherein the intersecting filters are spaced from each other.

In the final form of this invention, a lighting fixture 210 is mounted in conventional manner on a ceiling. Projecting downwardly from the ceiling are four angle bars 212, 214, 216, and 218, respectively. A pair of parallel rollers 220 and 222 are rotatably supported on angle bars 212, 214, and 216, 218, respectively. Mounted on said rollers 220 and 222 is a mulicolor filter 224.

A second pair of parallel rollers 226 and 228 are rotatably supported on angle bars 212, 216, and 214, 218, respectively. Mounted on said rollers 226 and 228 is a second color filter 230. It will now be noted that the two color filters intersect each other at right angles and that they are guided by intersecting wire frames 232 and 234, respectively. Knobs 236 and 238 are connected to rollers 220 and 222, respectively, and they may be actuated to feed color filter 224 from one of said rollers to the other.

By the same token, knobs 246 and 242 are connected to rollers 226 and 228, respectively, and they may be actuated to rotate said rollers and thereby to feed filter 230 from one to the other of said rollers.

All three embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGURES to 17, inclusive, may be used in the same manner and for the same purpose-that is, to illuminate a room or similar area and its contents, thereby also illuminating the patient within the room and enabling him to view his reflected image in a wallor furnituresupported mirror in the color-filtered light.

All of the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawing are intended to be illustrative of the general principles of the invention, and it will be understood that these embodiments may be modified and other forms may be provided, within the broad spirit of the invention and the broad scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus, comprising:

a reflector and a source of multicolored light enabling a psychiatric patient to observe a colored image of himself in said reflector,

said multicolor light source comprising a conventional white light source adapted to be directed at a patient position in front of the reflector, and

a multicolor light filter position across the reflector,

said multicolor light filter comprising an elongated transparent plastic film having a plurality of differently colored sections, each section being substantially coextensive with the reflector, and

a pair of rollers rotatably disposed on opposite sides of the reflector,

the ends of said rollers,

said plastic film being movable across the reflector when unwound from one of said rollers and wound upon the other of said rollers,

thereby superimposing selected color sections across the face of the reflector.

2. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said plastic film is provided with a clear section, also substantially coextensive with said reflector, to enable the patient to observe an uncolored image of himself in the reflector.

3. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

crank means are operatively connected to said rollers to enable a person operating said apparatus to rotate said rollers in either direction, and

thereby to cause the plastic film to move in such direction across the reflector as to bring any selected colored section thereof into registration with the reflector.

4. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

a multicolor light fiter is positioned across said white light source, said last mentioned multicolor light filter comprising an elongated transparent plastic film having a plurality of diflerently colored sections, each section being substantially coextensive with said white light source, and

a pair of rollers rotatably disposed on opposite sides of said white light source,

the ends of said plastic film being wound upon said rollers,

said plastic film being movable across the white light source when unwound from one of said rollers and Wound upon the other of said rollers,

thereby superimposing selected colored sections across the face of the white light source.

plastic film being wound upon said 5. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein:

said plastic film is provided with a clear section, also substantially coextensive with the white light source, to cast white light upon a patient, and thereby to enable the patient to observe an uncolored image of himself in the reflector.

6. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus in accordance With claim 4, wherein:

crank means are operatively connected to said rollers to enable a person operating said apparatus to rotate said rollers in either direction, and

thereby to cause the plastic film to move in such direction across the White light source as to bring any selected colored section thereof into registration with the white light source.

7. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the source of multicolored light is a light fixture supported in a room,

said light fixture having at least one white light mounted thereon,

a multicolor light filter extending across said white light,

an enclosure around the White light preventing any transmission of light rays therefrom except through said multicolor light filter,

the reflector being a wall mirror in which a psychiatric patient may observe his image in colors corresponding to the colors of the filter.

8. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein:

the multicolor light filter comprises an elongated transparent plastic film having a plurality of differently colored sections,

a pair of rollers rotatably disposed on opposite sides of said white light,

the ends of said plastic film being wound upon said rollers,

said plastic film being movable across said White light when unwound from one of said rollers and wound upon the other of said rollers, thereby exposing selected colored sections to said white light.

9. Multicolor light-reflecting psychiatric observation apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein:

a second elongated transparent plastic film extends across the first mentioned elongated transparent plastic film substantially at right angles thereto,

said second elongated transparent plastic film having a plurality of differently colored sections,

a pair of rollers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said white light intermediate said first mentioned rollers,

the ends of said second plastic film being wound upon said second pair of rollers,

said plastic film being movable across said first mentioned plastic film and also across said white light when unwound from one of said second pair of rollers and wound upon the other of said second pair of rollers, thereby exposing selected colored sections of said second plastic film to light passing through selected colored sections of said first plastic film.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,642,771 6/1953 Guist 128-2 X 2,840,073 6/1958 Zeltzer et al l28-76.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 468,976 7/1914 France.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. S. BRODER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. MULTICOLOR LIGHT-REFLECTING PSYCHIATRIC OBSERVATION APPARATUS, COMPRISING: A REFLECTOR AND A SOURCE OF MULTICOLORED LIGHT ENABLING A PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT TO OBSERVE A COLORED IMAGE OF HIMSELF IN SAID REFLECTOR, SAID MULTICOLOR LIGHT SOURCE COMPRISING A CONVENTIONAL WHITE LIGHT SOURCE ADAPTED TO BE DIRECTED AT A PATIENT POSITION IN FRONT OF THE REFLECTOR, AND A MULTICOLOR LIGHT FILTER POSITION ACROSS THE REFLECTOR, SAID MULTICOLOR LIGHT FILTER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TRANSPARENT PLASTIC FILM HAVING A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENTLY COLORED SECTIONS, EACH SECTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH THE REFLECTOR, AND 